Tea with trans dundee

Take part in a new participatory arts project

Along with millions of other people, I’ve done this countless times. It’s disarmingly friendly, especially if it prompts a smile and sparks a connection, even for a micro-moment.

Maybe neither of us is such a stranger after all? Could that kind of chance connection be created deliberately?

I had the idea of working with self-identified trans (or non-binary) volunteers like me to do just that: connect.

My name is Lyndsay and I am a trans woman (pictured above!) I created a café type event, with a view to inviting people to have a chat with us, over a cuppa, one to one, face to face. In October 2016, I met with a group of participants. We talked and made our own personalised conversation menus - these included anything we really loved talking about, anything that was individually ‘off the menu’, and agreed protocols. With the support of some expert NTS facilitation (thanks especially to Leonie, Steph & Corrie), we did it. We invited people to come and have a chat with us, to ask us questions from our menus and have a cuppa. The feedback was great.

Do you enjoy chatting to people over a cuppa? What do you enjoy talking about? (It doesn’t have to be trans issues; previous volunteer participants liked topics as diverse as jazz, beer and fashion!)

We’re looking for people who would like to join us in a workshop where we will meet, talk to each other and come up with our conversation menus. There’s no pressure to speak about anything you’d rather not, you can state what’s ‘off the menu’ for you, so people can avoid that. There will be free tea, coffee and snacks!

Those that want to will then take part in a Tea with Trans event at Dundee Literary Festival, supported by the Mental Health Foundation and the Adam World Choir, where members of the public will come and have a cup of tea and a chat.

Workshops: drop in between and 4pm - 8pm,Tuesday 17th October in Bonar Hall at University of Dundee.If you cannot make the above workshop there is one 5.30pm - 6.30pm Wednesday October 18th in Bonar Hall.

The event: 7pm, Wednesday October 18th in Bonar Hall at University of Dundee.

If you’d like to know more please get in touch with me on Lyndsay@theatremaker.co.uk